Doc Rivers tried to limit Kevin Garnett’s minutes a little in Boston last season, having him sit out some games, but Garnett still averaged almost 30 minutes a night when he did play. (Rivers’ hands were tied, when KG came off the court the Boston defense turned to mush.)

New Nets coach Jason Kidd want’s to keep Garnett’s minutes under control as well, keep the 37-year-old fresh for the playoffs. He’s got a little depth up front to give him some options, such as not playing KG on half of a back-to-back.

“It didn’t go too well,” Garnett said. “I understand what he’s saying. He just wants to make sure I’m durable. … I just don’t want to be told anything. I think I’ve earned the right to have an opinion on something that I’m doing. From a chemistry standpoint, I think it’s important for me to be out there with everybody.”

Yes you need to form a bond with your team, and you have the right as a veteran to have your voice heard (I have a feeling that is the big issue here, he wants to be consulted). That said, Kidd is right. If you came to win a ring — as you keep saying — you need to be fresh come the playoffs. It’s a long season, you’ll get your bonding.

But you need your rest, too. Brooklyn is potentially very good but there are a lot of questions and not a lot of margin for error in a conference with the Heat, Pacers and Bulls (plus those Knicks just over the bridge). The Nets need to be right come the playoffs to have a chance.

The throwbacks started with Cleveland’s Larry Nance Jr. going quick-change to pay tribute to his father, the 1984 winner of the Dunk Contest.

Nance later had the best dunk of the night, but it wasn’t enough in the face of Utah’s Donovan Mitchell‘s strong and consistent night highlight by his throwback dunk — donning a Vince Carter Toronto dinosaur jersey and doing VC’s famed 360 dunk — which got Mitchell the 48 points he needed to hold-off Nance and win the contest. It was over.

“Growing up I was a big dunker,” Mitchell said. “I wasn’t really much of a basketball player. I just dunked and played defense, and I watched a lot of Vince’s videos. I’ve been seeing what he’s been doing all year at his age, which is incredible.

“So I figured, you know, at my size if I was able to get it, it would be a great dunk and a way to finish it, you know. And actually, funny story is I haven’t made that dunk in like half a year. I tried it in practice the past two days and tried it this morning, didn’t make it. Tried it last night, didn’t make it… But to be able to make it was why I was so excited.”

Earlier in the night, Mitchell had done another tribute worn a Darrell Griffith jersey — Utah’s Dr. Dunkenstien, who went to Louisville like Mitchell — for an off-the-side-of-the-backboard jumping over Kevin Hart dunk.

“You know, just knowing your history, I think, is the biggest thing,” Mitchell said of the throwbacks. “Just understanding where this game originated, I guess the OGs of the game, I guess you would call it. But just understanding. Even if it’s just dunking. Whether it’s dunking in the NBA in general, Darrell Griffith, we went to the same school in college. I know Darrell very well. Both got drafted by the Jazz, and he was an incredible player. To be able to pay homage to him meant a lot to me.”

For my money, Nance had the dunk of the night, his first in the Finals, a double off-the-backboard throwdown that you had to see on replay to get (it wasn’t as evident in the building what he had done until it was re-shown on the big screen).

It was a fun contest all night long.

Mitchell (the leader in the Rookie of the Year race) started it off brilliantly — he brought out a second backboard, and did a self-alley-oop off one to the other.

Larry Nance Jr. did his tribute to his father with his first dunk, and on his second one came from behind the backboard, going around the world, and threw it down hard. That got him into the Finals.

Oladipo missed all three of his dunks in the first round, which almost doomed his night. He, however, did a dunk wearing the Black Panther mask for his second dunk, which impressed.

Mitchell said he wanted to beat Dennis Smith Jr. because the Mavericks’ point guard had beaten him in dunk contests for years. Smith had one monster dunk, when he went between the legs and threw it down hard and got the full 50. It just wasn’t enough to get Smith to the Finals.

Nance started off the final round by bringing out his father again to throw an alley-oop to a windmill. Mitchell responded with a self-alley-oop to a windmill that was flat-out wicked. That got Mitchell a 50-46 lead after one round of the Finals.